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ABC Releases Newsday Audit
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (November 16, 2004) -- In an audit report released today, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported that Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.) overstated Daily and Sunday circulation by 16.9% and 14.5%, respectively during the 12-month period ending September 30, 2003.
The ABC audit specifically noted the following adjustments in Newsday’s circulation reporting for the period:
- Average audited daily circulation during the period was adjusted by 97,783 copies to 481,816 compared to 579,599 originally reported by Newsday – a difference of 16.9 percent.
- Average audited Saturday circulation during the period was adjusted by 24,181 copies to 392,649 compared to 416,830 originally reported by Newsday – a difference of 5.8 percent.
- Average audited Sunday circulation during the period was adjusted by 97,739 copies to 574,081 compared to 671,820 originally reported by Newsday – a difference of 14.5 percent.
“These findings are a result of irregularities and errors identified during the course of ABC’s annual audit of Newsday. The results of the audit are consistent with the ABC Board’s decision in July to censure Newsday for its circumvention of the ABC’s rules, rules to which all members agree to abide,” said ABC president and managing director, Michael Lavery.
Lavery pointed out that the Newsday audit was ABC’s most intensive yet as it utilized a number of forensic techniques to complete the audit.
“This was an expansive audit that intensely scrutinized all aspects of Newsday’s circulation with particular attention paid to Newsday’s reporting on individual subscriptions, distributors and other field outlets, including hawkers,” Lavery explained. “In fact, the necessary depth and breadth of our investigation forced us to move away from our usual commitment to completing and releasing an audit within six months of the reporting period. We felt it was more important to address the need for accurate and trustworthy audit results than to adhere to a timetable.”
Because of ABC’s censure, Newsday’s records are now subject to twice-yearly audits. “The audits for periods ending March 2004 and September 2004 will be completed by the end of the year,” Lavery said.
Also, because of the censure, Newsday’s circulation claims will be excluded from FAS-FAX, ABC’s semi-annual report of “top-line” publisher circulation claims, for a period of one-year beginning September 30, 2004. Newsday was also required to submit to the ABC Board a plan of action for correcting the practices found by the audit to be deficient.
With nearly 4,300 members, ABC is in its 90th year as the first and largest circulation-auditing organization in the world, maintaining the industry’s foremost electronic database of audited-circulation information and a growing array of verified readership, subscriber demographics and online activity data. ABC offers reports and services in a variety of flexible formats, including print, spreadsheet, CD-ROM and online at http://www.accessabc.com.
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Corporate Communications Contacts:
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Senior Vice President, Communications and Strategic Planning
t: 847-879-8442 |
Manager, Communications
t: 847-879-8232 |
Manager, Communications
t: 847-879-8432
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